JP4428393B2 - Battery pack - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a battery pack that is detachably formed in an electronic device and that houses battery cells that supply driving power to the device body.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, portable electronic devices such as digital still cameras and camcorders have been widely used in which a battery mounting unit is provided and a battery pack containing a battery cell is attached and detached by the user's own hand. In use, a pre-charged battery pack is attached to the battery mounting portion, and when the battery runs out, it can be used for a long time by replacing it with a spare battery pack charged separately. It becomes possible.

  When the battery pack can be installed or replaced, if the remaining amount of the battery can be confirmed, a battery with a large remaining amount can be selected from a plurality of spare batteries, and can be distinguished from the battery 1 that has already been used up. It is possible and convenient. However, if there are multiple spare battery packs, it will take time to check the remaining battery level one by one. It has been desired to be able to confirm the remaining amount of battery collectively.

  In addition, the battery pack that displays the remaining battery level has a drawback that the visibility of the remaining battery level is deteriorated in the outdoors on a sunny day or in a bright place. On the other hand, if it is always lit with high brightness, a considerable amount of power is required for displaying the remaining amount, which is uneconomical.

JP-A-5-101852

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a battery pack that can efficiently check the remaining amounts of a plurality of spare batteries and that can ensure the visibility of the remaining amount display.

In order to solve the above-described problems, a battery pack according to the present invention detects a display unit that displays a remaining capacity of a battery, a remaining amount display switch that lights the display unit, and a pressed state of the remaining amount display switch. And a control means for switching the display state of the display unit in accordance with the pressing time of the remaining amount display switch. The control means is configured to press the remaining amount display switch for a longer time than a predetermined time. The display time of the display unit is made longer than when the button is pressed for the predetermined time or less .

  According to the battery pack of the present invention, since the display state of the display unit can be switched according to the pressing time of the remaining amount display switch, when checking the remaining battery amount for a plurality of battery packs or outdoors, etc. When checking the remaining battery level, the remaining battery level display switch can be pressed and held in sequence to switch the display of the remaining battery level for efficient checking.

  Hereinafter, a battery pack to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. As shown in FIG. 1, the battery pack 1 includes an outer housing 2 that is formed in a substantially rectangular shape that houses battery cells and has terminal holes facing the front surface. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer casing 2 has an upper cover 3 and a lower case 4 that are joined together, and includes a plurality of battery cells 8 of lithium ion secondary batteries, a protection circuit, and SMBus. (System Management Bus) A circuit board 9 on which a controller, an ID resistor and the like are mounted and an SMBus line is formed is accommodated. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the battery pack 1 has different electric capacities depending on the number of battery cells 8 housed in the outer housing 2, for example, an L size battery pack 1 a and an S size. Two types of battery packs 1b are prepared and are used depending on the electronic device to be used. Specifically, the L size battery pack 1a stores 8 battery cells in 2 rows × 4 levels, and the S size battery pack 1b stores 4 battery cells in 2 rows × 2 levels.

  The outer casing 2 storing such battery cells has a lower surface 2a as a mounting surface for mounting on the battery mounting portion 5 on the electronic device side, and a first terminal portion 6a on a front surface 2b continuous with the mounting surface. A fifth terminal portion 6e is exposed. The terminals formed in the terminal portions 6a to 6e each have a function. The first terminal portion 6a is a positive terminal of the battery pack 1, and the second terminal portion 6b is a clock line for the SMBus line. The third terminal portion 6c is a data line terminal in the SMBus line, the fourth terminal portion 6d is an ID terminal to which an ID resistor is connected, and the fifth terminal portion 6e is a negative terminal of the battery pack 1. .

  When the battery pack 1 is mounted in an electronic device, the battery pack 1 is inserted into the battery mounting portion 5 on the electronic device side with the lower surface 2a as an insertion end, and after the lower surface 2a is in contact with the bottom surface 5a of the battery mounting portion 5, By sliding to the front surface 2b side, the locking recesses 55 and 56 provided on the both side surfaces 2c and 2d of the outer housing 2 are locked to the locking projections 70 formed in the battery mounting portion 5 and the electronic device. It is attached to. When the battery pack 1 is removed from the electronic device, the battery pack 1 is removed by sliding it toward the back surface 2e facing the front surface 2b of the outer casing 2 and then pulling it up toward the top surface 2f facing the bottom surface 2a.

  As an electronic device in which such a battery pack 1 is used, for example, there is a camcorder 7 shown in FIG. This camcorder 7 is a commercial camcorder, and a battery mounting portion 5 is formed on the back surface 7a of the main body. The battery mounting unit 5 is set so that only the L size battery pack 1a having a considerable amount of battery capacity can be mounted from the usage time and frequency of the business camcorder 7 and the like.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the battery mounting portion 5 of the camcorder 7 has the battery pack 1 in the direction of arrow D in the figure along the right side of the back surface 7a with the lower surface 2a as the insertion end, and the lower surface 2a is the battery mounting portion 5 It is inserted to the insertion / removal position in contact with the bottom surface 5a. Next, the battery mounting portion 5 has the terminal pin 101 facing the battery mounting portion 5 in the direction of the arrow S on the left side in FIG. Inserted into the terminal portion 6 provided at 2b and slid to the mounting position where the locking recesses 55, 56 provided on both side surfaces 2c, 2d are locked to the locking projection 70, and the mounting is completed. .

  As described above, the battery pack 1 has both the L size battery pack 1a and the S size battery pack 1b stored in two rows, and the area of the lower surface 2a serving as a mounting surface in the battery mounting portion 5 Is an area in which two battery cells 8 are arranged in parallel. Accordingly, even in the camcorder 7 using the L size battery pack 1a, it is not necessary to increase the area of the battery mounting portion 5, and other switches can be disposed on the back surface 7a of the camcorder 7 body.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the battery pack 1 will be specifically described. The outer casing 2 of the battery pack 1 is formed using a synthetic resin. As shown in FIGS. 1B and 3B, the outer casing 2 is adjacent to the front surface 2b and the rear surface 2e and is in the battery mounting portion 5. An identification portion 10 for identifying a gripping surface corresponding to the mounting direction is formed on one side surface 2c that is vertically upward when mounted. Further, on the front surface 2b and the back surface 2e of the outer casing 2, an anti-slip portion 11 is formed at a gripping position by the user. By forming the identification portion 10 and the anti-slip portion 11, it can be seen that the battery pack 1 is correctly gripped in order to mount the outer housing 2 on the battery mounting portion 5. Even when the weight increases, it can be reliably gripped.

  That is, as described above, when the battery pack 1 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 5, the lower surface 2a serving as a mounting surface is inserted as an insertion end, and the front surface 2b on which the terminal portion 6 is formed is horizontal. Slide to. Therefore, the user needs to hold the front surface 2b with the front surface 2b facing the terminal side in the battery mounting portion 5.

  The identification unit 10 allows the user to identify the gripping surface of the outer housing 2 when the battery pack 1 is mounted on the battery mounting unit 5, and forms the concave surface portion 10a on the one side surface 2c and the concave surface portion 10a. The concave portion 10a is subjected to a textured process, and is further subjected to a textured process having a convex shape extending in the front-rear direction. When the user grips the battery pack 1 with the right hand, the identification unit 10 touches the fingertip by placing the index finger or the middle finger on the one side 2c, so that the one side 2c of the outer casing 2 is gripped correctly vertically upward. This makes it possible to intuitively recognize the sliding direction when the outer casing 2 is inserted into the battery mounting portion 5.

  Further, as described above, the battery pack 1 includes a total of eight battery cells 8 of 2 rows × 4 stages in the L size battery pack 1a, and a total of 8 rows of battery cells 8 in the S size battery pack 1b. Four are stored. As a result, the weight of the L size battery pack 1a is approximately 550 g, and the weight of the S size battery pack 1b is also 300 g, which is heavier than a consumer battery in which battery cells are stored in two rows and one column. Therefore, it is necessary to prevent the sliding from the user's hand.

  The anti-slip portions 11 formed on the front surface 2b and the back surface 2e are for preventing the user from holding the outer casing 2 and preventing sliding when the battery pack 1 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 5. In addition, a concave surface portion 11a is formed on the upper side of the back surface 2e, and the concave surface portion 11a is formed by applying a texture. When the user grips the battery pack 1 with the right hand, the user applies his / her thumb to the anti-slip portion 11 on the front surface 2b and the middle finger or the ring finger or the little finger to the anti-slip portion 11 on the back surface 2e. Thus, the outer casing 2 can be securely gripped without sliding. It should be noted that various shapes can be employed for the embossing applied to the concave surface portion 11a of the anti-slip portion 11.

  The outer casing 2 is also subjected to a texture that is different from that of the identification portion 10 and the anti-slip portion 11 in the region other than the identification portion 10 and the anti-slip portion 11 of the upper cover 3.

  Next, the configuration of the lower surface 2a serving as a placement surface placed on the battery mounting portion 5 will be described. A pair of insertion guide grooves 15 and 16 are formed on the lower surface 2a so as to be spaced apart in the sliding direction between the mounting position and the insertion / removal position of the battery mounting portion 5, and the insertion guide grooves are formed along the sliding direction. An area excluding 15 and 16 is an attachment area of the machine name label 14 (see FIG. 2). In the insertion guide grooves 15 and 16, guide convex portions 30 and 31 protruding from the bottom surface 5 a of the battery mounting portion 5 are inserted, thereby guiding the detachment operation of the outer casing 2 and the battery mounting portion 5. This prevents rattling in the direction of the two side surfaces 2c and 2d of the outer casing 2 attached to.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the outer casing 2 is provided with insertion guide grooves 15 and 16 spaced apart in the sliding direction on the lower surface 2 a, so that a substantially central portion is ensured, and the sticking area of the name label 14 is increased. Widely secured. In addition, since the lower surface 2a of the outer casing 2 is not divided into right and left by the insertion guide grooves 15 and 16, as shown in FIG. 2, a single large name label 14 formed in a substantially H shape is attached. can do.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 7, since the outer casing 2 is provided with the insertion guide grooves 15 and 16 spaced apart in the sliding direction on the lower surface 2 a, the insertion guide groove protruding toward the inner surface side of the outer casing 2. It is possible to narrow a region where the convex portions 15 and 16 occupy the inner surface of the lower surface 2a. Therefore, the outer casing 2 can secure a wide mounting area for electronic components and a patterning area on the lower surface 2a side of the circuit board 9 disposed inside the lower surface 2a, and efficiently use the space. Can do.

  Each insertion guide groove 15 and 16 is formed toward the front-rear direction at the approximate center in the width direction of the lower surface 2a. The front-side insertion guide groove 15 formed on the front surface 2b side has an end surface facing the lower portion of the front surface 2b, and the rear-side insertion guide groove 16 formed on the back surface 2e side has the end surface facing the lower portion of the back surface 2e. In addition, a locking recess 17 is formed in which a locking piece 35 provided in the battery mounting portion 5 is locked.

  The front insertion guide groove 15 is continuous through an L-shaped opening 18 whose insertion end facing the front surface 2b is opened in a substantially L shape, and a stepped portion 19 formed on the back side from the L-shaped opening 18. The front guide groove portion 20 is formed. Then, as shown in FIG. 8, the front guide protrusion 30 formed at the deepest part in the sliding direction of the battery mounting portion 5 is inserted into the front insertion guide groove 15. The front guide protrusion 30 has a front protrusion 32 inserted into the front guide groove 20 and a substantially L-shaped cross section formed deeper than the front protrusion 32 and locked to the L-shaped opening 18. A locking projection 33 is formed. When the outer housing 2 is inserted into the insertion / removal position of the battery mounting portion 5 and is slid toward the mounting position toward the front surface 2b, the front insertion guide groove 15 has a front protrusion on the front guide protrusion 30. 32 is inserted into the front guide groove 20, the end surface of the locking projection 33 is abutted against the stepped portion 19, and the locking projection 33 is engaged with the L-shaped opening 18.

  The rear-side insertion guide groove 16 includes a locking concave portion 17 in which the lock piece 35 is locked by the end facing the rear surface 2e being recessed in a substantially rectangular shape, and on the front side of the locking concave portion 17. The formed back side guide groove 21 is formed. The back side guide groove 21 is formed on the same line as the front side guide groove 20. Further, the locking concave portion 17 is formed wider than the back side guide groove portion 21, and is formed continuously with the back side guide groove portion 21, whereby the lock piece 35 is locked to the front side of the outer casing 2. A locking wall 22 is provided.

  And the back side guide convex part 31 formed in the battery mounting part 5 is inserted in the back side insertion guide groove 16. The back side guide convex portion 31 is formed with a back side protrusion 34 that passes through the back side guide groove portion 21, and a lock piece 35 that is locked to the locking concave portion 17. The back-side ridge 34 is formed on the same line as the front-side ridge 32. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the lock piece 35 is inserted into the battery mounting portion 5 through the locking hole 36 opened in the bottom surface 5 a of the battery mounting portion 5 of the battery mounting portion 5, thereby engaging the tip portion. This is brought into contact with the stop wall 22. The lock piece 35 is rotatable by the rotation mechanism 40 over the inside and outside of the battery mounting portion 5.

  The rotation mechanism 40 is attached to the back wall of the battery mounting portion 5, and includes a support plate 41 that supports the lock piece 35, a press bar 42 that presses the lock piece 35, and an operation button 43 that operates the press bar 42. Have. The support plate 41 supports a rotation shaft 44 inserted through a rotation bearing 35 a formed at the rear end of the lock piece 35. The rotating shaft 44 is provided with a coil spring 45 having one end locked to the support plate 41 and the other end locked to the lock piece 35. Thus, the lock piece 35 is always urged to rotate by the coil spring 45 in the direction of the arrow L in FIG. The pressing bar 42 that presses the lock piece 35 rotates the lock piece 35 biased in the direction of the arrow L in the counter-arrow L direction, and is supported between the side surface of the battery mounting portion 5 by the support plate 41. It is supported to move up and down. In the pressing bar 42, an inclined surface portion 42a is formed at the other end opposite to one end in contact with the lock piece 35, and the operation button 43 is in contact with the inclined surface portion 42a. The operation button 43 slides the pressing bar 42 by pressing the inclined surface portion 42a of the pressing bar 42, and rotates the lock piece 35 in the counter arrow L direction. The operation button 43 is supported on the side surface of the battery mounting portion 5 by a support member (not shown), and is always urged by the coil spring 45 in a direction away from the inclined surface portion 42 a of the pressing bar 42.

  When the outer casing 2 is inserted into the battery mounting portion 5 and is slid to the front surface 2b side, the back side insertion guide groove 16 is inserted into the back side guide groove portion 21 and locked. The piece 35 is inserted into the locking recess 17 and is brought into contact with a locking wall 22 formed between the locking recess 17 and the guide groove 20.

  Thereby, the outer casing 2 is guided to slide in the battery mounting portion 5 and is prevented from rattling in a direction orthogonal to the sliding direction. In other words, the outer casing 2 has the front side guide projections 30 inserted into the front side insertion guide grooves 15 and the back side guide projections 31 inserted into the back side insertion guide grooves 16 so that the both sides 2c and 2d directions. Shaking is prevented.

  Further, by engaging the L-shaped opening 18 with the locking projection 33, rattling in the both side surfaces 2c, 2d direction and the top and bottom surfaces 2f, 2a direction is also prevented. Therefore, the outer casing 2 can ensure the connection reliability to the battery mounting portion, and is related to the terminal portions 6a to 6e by facing the L-shaped opening 18 along with the terminal portions 6a to 6e. Stress can be suppressed and electrical connection reliability can be secured.

  Further, when the outer casing 2 is slid to the mounting position, the lock piece 35 comes into contact with the locking wall 22 and is prevented from sliding in the direction of the rear surface 2e from the mounting position to the insertion / removal position. The situation where it remove | deviates from the battery mounting part 5 by etc. is prevented. Further, rattling of the battery mounting portion of the outer housing 2 is also prevented by locking the lock pieces 35 to the locking recesses 17.

  When removing the battery pack 1 from the battery mounting portion 5, by pressing the operation button 43 of the rotation mechanism 40, the inclined surface portion 42 a of the press bar 42 is pressed by the tip of the operation button 43, and the press bar 42 is moved. Slide to the bottom 5a side. As a result, the lock piece 35 is urged to rotate in the direction opposite to the arrow L by being pressed by the pressing bar 42, so that the lock piece 35 is retracted from the battery mounting portion 5 and is engaged with the locking recess 17 of the outer housing 2. The match is released. As a result, the outer housing 2 can slide in the direction of the back surface 2e.

  As described above, the outer casing 2 is formed with the locking concave portion 17 continuous with the rear side guide groove portion 21 in the rear side insertion guide groove 16, thereby preventing rattling in the battery mounting portion 5 and the direction of the rear surface 2e. Can be prevented, and the area occupied by the back-side insertion guide groove 16 on the lower surface 2a can be suppressed, so that the lower surface 2a can be used efficiently. Therefore, the outer housing 2 can ensure a large area for attaching the name label 14 on the lower surface 2a and a region for arranging the circuit board 9 on the inner surface side of the lower surface 2a.

  Next, the configuration of both side surfaces 2c and 2d of the outer housing 2 will be described. The outer casing 2 has a detection recess 50 for detecting the type of the battery pack 1 at a ridge formed by one or both of the lower surface 2a and both side surfaces 2c, 2d. As described above, the battery pack 1 is provided with the L size battery pack 1a and the S size battery pack 1b according to the size of the battery capacity. As shown in FIG. 6A, the detection recess 50 is provided on both side surfaces 2c and 2d in the L size battery pack 1a, and in the S size battery pack 1b, as shown in FIG. Is provided only on the other side surface 2d side.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the battery mounting portion 5 is provided with protruding projections 51 for preventing erroneous insertion corresponding to the detection recesses 50 on the side surfaces facing the both side surfaces 2c and 2d. By providing such an engaging convex portion 51, it is possible to prevent a situation in which a battery of a non-compatible size is erroneously attached. That is, since a pair of detection recesses 50 are formed on both side surfaces 2c and 2d in the L size battery pack 1a, both detection recesses 50 are provided in the battery mounting portion 5 of the electronic device corresponding to the L size battery pack 1a. By forming the pair of engaging convex portions 51 that engage with each other, it is possible to prevent the S size battery pack 1b in which the detecting concave portion 50 is formed only on the other side surface 2d from being erroneously attached. In this case, in the S size battery pack 1b, the engagement convex portion 51 protruding from the side surface facing the other side surface 2d interferes with the other side surface 2d of the outer housing 2 and the ridge portion of the lower surface 2a, so that the battery mounting portion 5 is not installed. Thereby, for example, in the business camcorder 7, since the power consumption is large, only the L size battery pack 1a having a large battery capacity can be mounted.

  In addition, for example, the L-size battery pack 1a is a relatively large and large-capacity commercial battery, the S-size battery pack 1b is a relatively small and small-capacity consumer battery, and the commercial electronic device is an L-size battery. Only the pack 1a can be mounted, and both the size battery packs 1a and 1b can be mounted on a consumer electronic device.

  In addition, the outer casing 2 is provided with a detection recess 50 at a ridge formed by the lower surface 2a and both side surfaces 2c and 2d, instead of the front surface 2b that is generally provided with the type determining uneven shape. Thereby, the outer housing | casing 2 can ensure the space where the front surface 2b faces the end surface of the five terminal parts 6 and the front surface side insertion guide groove 15, and is arranged in parallel.

  Instead of the engaging convex portion 51, the battery mounting portion 5 may be provided with a type determining switch 52 corresponding to the detection concave portion 50 protruding from the side surfaces facing the both side surfaces 2c and 2d. In this case, when the battery pack 1 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 5, none of these switches 52 are pressed in the L size battery pack 1a, and the switch on the side surface facing the one side surface 2c in the S size battery pack 1b. 52 is pressed. By detecting the pressed state of the switch 52, it is possible to determine on the electronic device side which of the L size battery pack 1a and the S size battery pack 1b is mounted.

  As a result, when the S size battery 1b is mounted, processing such as issuing an alarm to the user on the electronic device side or not accepting power supply from the S size battery 1b and performing no operation is performed. Can do.

  Next, the locking recesses 55 and 56 that are formed on both sides of the detection recess 50 of the outer casing 2 and lock the outer casing 2 in the battery mounting portion 5 will be described. The locking recesses 55 and 56 are formed on both sides of the detection recess 50 at the ridge formed by the lower surface 2a and the side surfaces 2c and 2d. The locking recesses 55 and 56 protrude from the side surface of the battery mounting portion 5 corresponding to the locking recesses 55 and 56 when the outer casing 2 is inserted into the battery mounting portion 5 and slid to the mounting position. The provided locking projection 70 is locked.

  As shown in FIG. 9, the front side locking recess 55 provided on the front surface 2 b side of the outer casing 2 includes an inclined surface portion 57 that draws the locking projection 70, and the bottom surface of the locking projection 70 and the battery mounting portion 5. 5a, and an orthogonal surface portion 59 that is continuous with the inclined surface portion 57 and extends in the height direction substantially orthogonal to the lower surface 2a. The front locking recess 55 is formed with an opening 60 between the inclined surface portion 57 and the clamping portion 58 through which the locking projection 70 is inserted and removed.

  Further, the back side locking recess 56 provided on the back surface 2 e side of the outer housing 2 is sandwiched between the inclined surface portion 61 that draws the locking projection 70, the locking projection 70, and the bottom surface 5 a of the battery mounting portion 5. Holding part 62. In addition, an opening 63 into which the locking projection 70 is inserted and removed is also formed in the back side locking recess 56 between the inclined surface portion 61 and the clamping portion 62.

  The locking projections 70 that are locked to the front side locking recess 55 and the back side locking recess 56 are a leg portion 71 erected from the bottom surface 5 a of the battery mounting portion 5, and the leg portion 71 to the battery mounting portion 5. And a locking portion 72 that extends on the back side and is positioned on the upper surfaces of the holding portions 58 and 62. The locking portion 72 has a distance from the bottom surface 5a of the battery mounting portion 5 that is substantially the same as the thickness of each of the holding portions 58 and 62 of the outer housing 2 on which the lower surface 2a is placed on the bottom surface 5a of the battery mounting portion 5. When the outer casing 2 is slightly narrowed and is slid to the battery mounting position, the holding portions 58 and 62 are press-fitted between the locking portion 72 and the bottom surface 5a of the battery mounting portion 5 to hold the holding portions 58 and 62. Then, the outer casing 2 is locked in the battery mounting portion 5.

  When the outer casing 2 is inserted in the direction of arrow D in FIG. 9 to the insertion / removal position where the lower surface 2a serving as the mounting surface comes into contact with the bottom surface 5a of the battery mounting portion 5, the openings 60 and 63 The locking portion 72 of the locking projection 70 is entered. At this time, in the outer casing 2, each of the inclined surface portions 57 and 61 and the orthogonal surface portion 59 slides on the locking convex portion 70, so that the locking portion 72 has substantially the same height as the upper surfaces of the clamping portions 58 and 62. , Are guided to positions where they can be locked to each other. In addition, the detection recessed part 50 also enters into the engaging convex part 51 protrudingly provided on the side wall of the battery mounting part 5. Next, the outer casing 2 is slid in the direction of arrow S in FIG. As a result, in the outer casing 2, the terminal pin 101 on the battery mounting portion 5 side is inserted and engaged with each terminal portion 6 facing the front surface 2b, and the holding portions 58 of the respective locking recesses 55 and 56 are engaged. , 62 are sandwiched between the locking portion 72 of the locking projection 70 and the bottom surface 5 a of the battery mounting portion 5.

  The engaging part 72 only needs to be able to hold the holding parts 58 and 62 between the bottom surface 5a of the battery mounting part 5, and the upper surfaces of the holding parts 58 and 62 and the locking recesses 55 and 56 facing the upper face are not necessarily required. There is no need to be sandwiched between Therefore, the locking portion 72 does not have a thickness, and there may be a gap between the locking portion 72 and the top surfaces of the locking recesses 55 and 56. However, it goes without saying that the locking portion 72 may be clamped between the upper surfaces of the clamping portions 58 and 62 and the top surfaces of the locking recesses 55 and 56.

  When detaching from the battery mounting portion 5, the outer casing 2 is slid from the mounting position to the insertion / removal position in the direction opposite to the arrow S in FIG. 72 and the bottom surface 5 a of the battery mounting portion 5. At this time, the locking projection 70 has the locking portion 72 positioned in the openings 60 and 63 of the locking recesses 55 and 56, and can move the outer casing 2 in the direction of the opposite arrow D on the upper surface 2f side. It is said that.

  Here, the front locking recess 55 is formed with an orthogonal surface portion 59 that is continuous with the inclined surface portion 57 and orthogonal to the lower surface 2a. The orthogonal surface portion 59 is provided with the circuit board 9 inside the outer casing 2. The circuit board 9 is disposed in the outer casing 2 at a height at which the inclined surface portion 57 and the orthogonal surface portion 59 are in contact with each other. In other words, the outer casing 2 is provided with the orthogonal surface portion 59 in the height direction orthogonal to the lower surface 2 a, so that the circuit board 9 has a height of a contact point between the inclined surface portion 57 and the orthogonal surface portion 59 inside the orthogonal surface portion 59. As a result, the circuit board 9 can be disposed at a height at which the front locking recess 55 is formed.

  In the L size battery pack 1a which is enlarged and weighted corresponding to the commercial camcorder 7, the connection reliability between the locking recesses 55 and 56 of the outer casing 2 and the locking projection 70 on the battery mounting portion 5 side is ensured. In order to secure the property, it is necessary to make the sandwiching portions 58 and 62 thicker than before and to make the engaging portion 72 of the engaging protrusion 70 larger than before. As the thicknesses of the holding portions 58 and 62 increase and the size of the locking portion 72 increases, the locking recesses 55 and 56 are also formed larger in the height direction of the outer casing 2. Since the locking recesses 55 and 56 are projected in the same shape on the inner side surface of the outer casing 2, when the circuit board 9 disposed on the lower surface 2 a side is to be disposed avoiding the projecting shape, Naturally, it will be disposed above the locking recesses 55 and 56.

  However, as the circuit board 9 is set upward from the lower surface 2a, the arrangement area of the battery cells 8 connected to the circuit board 9 is also directed upward. As a result, the outer casing 2 is increased in size. A dead space also occurs between 9 and the lower surface 2a. In this respect, the outer casing 2 is designed to increase the size of the locking recesses 55, 56, and to provide the orthogonal surface portion 59, and dispose the circuit substrate 9 by disposing the circuit substrate 9 inside the orthogonal surface portion 59. The installation height can be suppressed to the lower surface 2a side, and the enlargement of the outer casing 2 can be prevented. Further, by forming the orthogonal surface portion 59 continuously with the inclined surface portion 57, the circuit board 9 can be held at the height of the contact point between the inclined surface portion 57 and the orthogonal surface portion 59. The size of the locking recesses 55 and 56 can be increased while maintaining the position. The orthogonal surface portion may be formed not only in the front side locking recess 55 but also in the back side locking recess 56.

  In addition, each of the locking recesses 55 and 56 is formed such that the thickness of each clamping portion 58 and 62 is larger than the depth in the height direction orthogonal to the lower surface 2 a of the detection recess 50. Thereby, the outer housing | casing 2 can prevent the situation where the latching convex part 70 is erroneously inserted in the detection recessed part 50. FIG.

  In other words, when the outer casing 2 is not guided by the side wall of the battery mounting portion 5 and the lower surface 2a is placed on the bottom surface 5a, there is a possibility that the locking convex portion 70 is erroneously inserted into the detection concave portion 50. is there. In this case, as shown in FIG. 10 (a), if the depth of the detection recess 50 is shallower than the thickness of the sandwiching portions 58 and 62, when the locking projection 70 is inserted into the detection recess 50, It can be seen that the housing 2 cannot be inserted to the insertion / removal position where the lower surface 2a abuts against the bottom surface 5a of the battery mounting portion 5, and the outer housing 2 is tilted, so that it is not inserted correctly by the user.

  On the other hand, when the depth of the detection recess 50 is made deeper than the thickness of the sandwiching portions 58 and 62, as shown in FIG. 10B, when the locking projection 70 is erroneously inserted into the detection recess 50 In addition, the lower surface 2 a of the outer housing 2 can be inserted to the insertion / removal position where it contacts the bottom surface 5 a of the battery mounting portion 5. As described above, the locking portion 72 of the locking projection 70 only needs to be able to hold the holding portions 58 and 62, and does not necessarily have to be formed thick, and thus can be formed with a reduced thickness. Therefore, if the depth of the detection recess 50 is formed to be slightly deeper than the thickness of the sandwiching portions 58 and 62, the outer casing 2 is connected to the battery mounting portion while the locking projection 70 is erroneously inserted into the detection recess 50. 5 can be inserted to the bottom.

  However, since the battery pack 1 is formed such that the thickness of each of the holding portions 58 and 62 is larger than the depth of the detection recess 50, if the locking projection 70 is erroneously inserted into the detection recess 50, the outer casing 2 cannot be inserted up to the bottom surface 5 a of the battery mounting portion 5. Therefore, the user can easily identify that the outer casing 2 is erroneously inserted into the battery mounting portion 5.

  Next, the depth in the width direction of the lower surface 2a of the detection recess 50, the front locking recess 55, and the back locking recess 56 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the outer casing 2 is orthogonal to the depth in the width direction of the lower surface 2a of the detection recess 50, that is, the sliding direction across the insertion / removal position and mounting position of the outer casing 2 on the lower surface 2a. The depth from each side surface 2c, 2d in the direction is formed deeper than the depth in the same direction of the front side locking recess 55 and the back side locking recess 56. As described above, the engagement concave portion 51 protruding from the side wall of the battery mounting portion 5 is engaged with the detection concave portion 50, and the L size battery pack 1 a has both sides of the outer casing 2. Provided on the surfaces 2c and 2d, the S size battery pack 1b is provided only on the other side 2d of the outer casing 2. In addition, the engagement convex portion 51 that engages with the detection concave portion 50 is provided on the battery mounting portion 5 of the electronic device that uses the L size battery pack 1a so as to protrude from the side surfaces facing the both side surfaces 2c and 2d, respectively. Only the side surface opposite to the other side surface 2d protrudes from the battery mounting portion 5 of the electronic device using the size battery pack 1b.

  The engagement protrusions 51 have substantially the same amount of protrusion from the side surface of the battery mounting portion 5 as the depth in the width direction of the lower surface 2 a of the detection recess 50. Therefore, when the engaging convex portion 51 is inserted into the detection concave portion 50, almost the whole is engaged in the detection concave portion 50. Further, as described above, when the unsupported S-size battery pack 1b is inserted into the battery mounting portion 5, the engaging convex portion 51 contacts the one side surface 2c of the outer casing 2 in which the detection concave portion 50 is not provided. In contact with the battery mounting portion 5 to prevent insertion.

  Here, the protruding amount of the engaging convex portion 51 is substantially the same as the depth of the detecting concave portion 50 in the width direction of the lower surface 2 a, and the depth of the detecting concave portion 50 is the same direction of both the locking concave portions 55 and 56. It is formed deeper than the depth. That is, the engaging convex portion 51 is formed so as to protrude beyond the depth of both the locking concave portions 55 and 56. Moreover, since the latching convex part 70 is also provided with the protrusion amount according to the width direction depth of the lower surface 2a of the latching recessed parts 55 and 56, the engagement convex part 51 protrudes rather than the latching convex part 70. Is formed.

  Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11A, when the S size battery pack 1 b is mounted on the battery mounting portion 5 of the electronic device dedicated to the L size battery pack 1 a, the protrusion protruding from the side surface of the battery mounting portion 5. The mating convex portion 51 is brought into contact with one side surface 2 c of the outer casing 2. At this time, since the engaging convex portion 51 is formed so as to protrude from the engaging convex portion 70, the engaging convex portion 70 is not inserted into the engaging concave portions 55 and 56. The outer casing 2 cannot be mounted on the battery mounting portion 5 because neither the engaging convex portion 51 nor the engaging convex portion 70 is engaged in the detection concave portion 50 and the both engaging concave portions 55 and 56. As shown in FIG. 5, the camcorder 7 or the like in which the lower surface 2a is inserted in the horizontal direction is not held by the battery mounting portion 5 even if the outer housing 2 is inserted, and it is difficult to slide it to the front surface 2b side. Become. Therefore, the user can easily determine that the S size battery pack 1b is erroneously inserted into the electronic device dedicated to the L size battery pack 1a.

  On the other hand, when the depth in the width direction of the lower surface 2a of the detection recess 50 is formed to be shallower than the depth in the same direction of the locking recesses 55 and 56, the engagement protrusion 51 on the battery mounting portion 5 side is also engaged. The protruding amount is formed to be lower than that of the stop convex portion 70. Therefore, as shown in FIG. 11 (b), when the S size battery pack 1b is mounted on the battery mounting portion 5 of the electronic device dedicated to the L size battery pack 1a, the engaging convex portion 51 contacts the one side surface 2c. Even if it contacts, the latching convex part 70 will be inserted in the latching recessed parts 55 and 56. FIG. Therefore, it is difficult for the user to determine that the battery pack 1 is erroneously inserted, and there is a possibility that the outer casing 2 is slid as it is to the front surface 2b side and attached to the battery mounting portion 5 as it is.

  In this respect, in the battery pack 1 to which the present invention is applied, since the detection recess 50 is formed deeper than the locking recesses 55 and 56, the engaging convex portion 51 is also protruded from the locking convex portion 70, When the engaging convex portion 51 is brought into contact with the one side surface 2 c, the locking convex portion 70 is not inserted into the locking concave portions 55 and 56. Thereby, the battery pack 1 can prevent the S size battery pack 1b from being erroneously attached to an electronic device dedicated to the L size battery pack 1a.

Next, the terminal portion 6 formed at the lower part of the front surface 2b of the outer casing 2 will be described. As shown in FIG. 12, the terminal portion 6 is formed in the lower case 4 of the outer casing 2, and has a terminal hole 80 facing outward from the front surface 2 b, and a terminal disposed inside the terminal hole 80. And a metal bearing 82 into which the terminal pin 101 formed on the battery mounting portion 5 side is inserted.

  As shown in FIG. 13, the terminal hole 80 is continuous with the concave surface portion 84 in which the insertion hole 83 into which the terminal pin 101 is inserted is formed, and the concave surface portion 84 and the metal bearing 82 that are formed in the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 83. The guide portion 85 is provided. The concave surface portion 84 is a substantially rectangular concave portion formed in the front surface 2b of the outer housing 2, and an insertion hole 83 through which the terminal pin 101 is inserted is formed by opening a substantially central bottom surface. The guide portion 85 is formed on the inner peripheral surface of the insertion hole 83, and has an inclined surface portion 86 that guides the terminal pin 101 to the metal bearing 82. The guide portion 85 is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the metal bearing 82 and supports the terminal pin 101 together with the metal bearing 82. And a supporting surface portion 87.

  Since the upper end of the insertion hole 83 opened in the concave surface portion 84 has a larger diameter than the terminal pin 101, the terminal pin 101 can be easily inserted. The insertion hole 83 is guided to the support surface portion 87 that is formed to have substantially the same diameter as the metal bearing 82 and is continuous with the metal bearing 82 through the inclined surface portion 86 formed on the upper end side. The terminal pin 101 is inserted into the terminal portion 6 without applying a load.

  The metal bearing 82 arranged continuously with the support surface portion 87 is a cylindrical metal member whose one end in the longitudinal direction is opened and the other end is closed, and is fitted in the terminal case 81 and has a closed end. The side is connected to the circuit board 9 to which the terminal case 81 is coupled via a metal tab 88 (see FIG. 17B). Then, as shown in FIG. 14, the metal bearing 82 is connected to the support surface portion 87 of the terminal hole 80 as shown in FIG. 12 by disposing the terminal case 81 in the lower case 4 together with the circuit board 9. The terminal pin 101 inserted through the insertion hole 83 is inserted and held.

  The terminal case 81 into which the metal bearing 82 is fitted is a substantially rectangular resin part having a length in the longitudinal direction substantially the same as a length in the width direction of the lower case 4. As shown, a fitting hole 89 for accommodating the metal bearing 82 is formed along the longitudinal direction. The fitting hole 89 has a cylindrical shape whose inner diameter is substantially the same as the outer shape of the metal bearing 82 and is open at both ends in the longitudinal direction. Each metal bearing 82 is connected to the terminal hole 80 from the end face of the fitting hole 89 and is connected to the metal tab 88.

  The terminal portion 6 is configured such that the insertion hole 83 is opened in the concave surface portion 84 of the terminal hole 80 and is further connected to the metal bearing 82 via the guide portion 85, whereby the metal bearing 82 is connected to the outer casing 2 from the front surface 2b. Arranged inside. Thereby, the terminal portion 6 can prevent a short circuit between the metal bearing 82 and external metals, a deformation of the metal bearing 82 due to a collision with the outside, and the like.

The terminal portion 6 is inserted and held in the terminal pin 101 through the support surface portion 87 of the guide portion 85 of the terminal hole 80 and the metal bearing 82 fitted in the terminal case 81. As described above, the terminal pin 101 is inserted and held in the two parts of the terminal hole 80 on the lower case 4 side and the terminal case 81 disposed in the lower case 4, so that the battery pack 1 can be mounted. Even when vibration is applied to the electronic device, the load applied to the terminal pin 101 can be reduced and electrical connection reliability can be maintained.

  As shown in FIG. 16, the terminal portion 6 has five first to fifth terminal portions 6 a to 6 e arranged side by side at the lower portion of the front surface 2 b. The first and second terminal portions 6a and 6b and the fourth and fifth terminal portions 6d and 6e are formed symmetrically on the front surface 2b of the outer casing 2, and the third terminal portion 6c It is formed biased from the center of 2b toward the fourth and fifth terminal portions 6d and 6e. Moreover, the end surface of the front-side insertion guide groove 15 described above faces the center of the front surface 2b.

  Further, as described above, the terminals formed in the respective terminal portions 6a to 6e have their respective functions. The first terminal portion 6a is the positive terminal of the battery pack 1, and the second terminal portion 6b is the SMBus. A clock line terminal in the line, a third terminal portion 6c is a data line terminal in the SMBus line, a fourth terminal portion 6d is an ID terminal to which an ID resistor is connected, and a fifth terminal portion 6e is a battery pack. 1 is a negative electrode terminal.

In the battery pack 1, when the outer casing 2 is inserted into the battery mounting portion 5 and slid toward the front surface 2b, the terminal pins 101 disposed on the battery mounting portion 5 side are connected to the terminal portions 6a to 6e. Inserted and retained. Thereby, the battery pack 1 supplies power via the first and fifth terminal portions 6a and 6e, communication of clock data via the second terminal portion 6b, Various data such as remaining battery capacity and full charge capacity via terminal 6c, current charge amount, how many minutes it will last if used, number of charge / discharge cycles, and ID data indicating that battery pack 1 is a genuine product It is possible to detect the ID resistance value via the fourth terminal portion 6d.

  The ID resistance value by the fourth terminal portion 6d is used for detecting on the electronic device side which one of the battery packs of a plurality of types prepared according to the difference in capacity is mounted. Different resistance values are set for the L size battery pack 1a and the S size battery pack 1b. When the terminal pin 101 is inserted into the fourth terminal portion 6d, the resistance value on the battery pack 1 side is measured on the electronic device side to determine which battery pack 1 is mounted.

  Here, the fourth terminal portion 6d is formed close to the fifth terminal portion 6e having a negative electrode terminal. This is because if the ID detection resistor and the negative electrode line are separated from each other, electromagnetic radiation from other signal lines or the like propagates as noise in the meantime, and an accurate resistance value may not be measured. Because there is. Therefore, the battery pack 1 can be designed with a short distance between the ID resistor and the negative electrode line by arranging the fourth terminal portion 6d close to the negative electrode terminal 6e, and an accurate resistance value can be measured. .

  The third terminal portion 6c has a front-side insertion guide groove 15 formed substantially at the center in the width direction of the front surface 2b of the outer casing 2, so that either the left or right, It is biased toward the fifth terminal portions 6d and 6e.

As a result, in the battery pack 1, the terminal portions 6a to 6e are arranged at unequal intervals, and the terminal pins 101 formed on the battery mounting portion 5 side corresponding to the terminal portions 6a to 6e are also included. It will be formed at unequal intervals. Therefore, the battery pack 1 can prevent erroneous insertion into the battery mounting portion 5 because the terminal pin 101 is not inserted in the opposite direction.

A pair of terminals connected to the electrodes of the battery cell 8 is provided between the second terminal portion 6b and the third terminal portion 6c and between the third terminal portion 6c and the fourth terminal portion 6d. The electrode tabs 91 and 91 are extended so as not to overlap with any of the third and fourth terminal portions 6c and 6d. Electrode tabs 91 connected to the electrode of the battery cell 8, as shown in FIG. 14, is formed in the narrow tip 91a side, when housed in the outer casing 2, the distal end portion 91a is the same After being bent in the direction of arrow F in the figure, it is connected to the circuit board 9. By the battery cell 8 is housed in the outer housing 2 with the circuit board 9, the electrode tabs 91 and 91, as shown in FIG. 17 (a), the tip portion 91a and the second terminal portion 6b and the third Between the terminal portions 6c, between the third terminal portion 6c and the fourth terminal portion 6d, and at positions that are not on the same plane as the terminal portions 6a to 6e.

FIG. 17A is a front view showing the battery cell 8 disposed on the circuit board 9 connected to the terminal case 81, and FIG. 17B shows this state from the back side of the circuit board 9. It is the bottom view seen. As shown in FIG. 17B, the electrode tab 91 is bent in the direction of arrow F along the circuit board 9 from the end portion of the battery cell 8, so that the narrow end portion 91a becomes the second to fourth. The terminal portions 6b to 6d are routed so as not to overlap. Therefore, the battery pack 1 can prevent electromagnetic radiation from the electrode tabs 91 and 91 from being propagated to each communication line as noise, and can perform accurate data communication.

  Subsequently, the battery mounting part 5 provided with the terminal pin 101 inserted in the terminal parts 6a-6e is demonstrated. As shown in FIGS. 18 and 19, the battery mounting portion 5 includes a terminal plate 100 having terminal pins 101 inserted into the terminal portions 6 facing the front surface 2 b of the outer housing 2, and an outer housing. 2 and a storage case 102 into which the terminal plate 100 is fitted, and a support plate 103 that supports the terminal plate 100 fitted into the storage case 102.

  As shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, the terminal plate 100 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape as a whole, and the terminal pin 101 is provided on the side of the battery pack 1 on the side 104 facing the inside of the storage case 102. It protrudes according to the number of terminal portions 6 and the arrangement interval. Each terminal pin 101 is supported on a starting end side by a support recess (not shown) provided on the terminal plate 100, and a tip is directed to the front surface 100 a side of the terminal plate 100 facing the front surface 2 b of the outer housing 2. In addition, each terminal pin 101 is connected to a terminal cord inserted through the support recess. As shown in FIG. 20B, the terminal cord is pulled out of the storage case 102 through a pull-out recess 105 formed on the back surface 100b side of the terminal plate 100.

  In addition, the above-described front guide protrusion 30 is formed adjacent to the terminal pin 101 at a substantially center in the width direction of the one surface 104. The front guide protrusion 30 is inserted into the front insertion guide groove 15 formed on the lower surface 2a of the outer casing 2 to guide insertion / removal of the outer casing 2 with respect to the battery mounting portion 5 and at the time of mounting. Is to prevent rattling in the both side surfaces 2c, 2d direction and the top and bottom surfaces 2f, 2a direction of the outer casing 2, and a front protrusion 32 and a locking projection 33 are formed.

  On one surface 104, a shielding plate 106 that protects the terminal pin 101 is rotatably attached. The shielding plate 106 prevents contact with the conductor due to the terminal pins 101 being exposed to the outside, damage, etc. when the battery pack 1 is not attached. And is supported so as to be rotatable about the back surface 100b side as a fulcrum. The shielding plate 106 is always urged to rotate in a direction to shield the terminal pin 101 by being locked by a coil spring (not shown). As a result, the shielding plate 106 shields the terminal pins 101 from the outside when the battery pack 1 is not attached. When the battery pack 1 is attached, the shielding plate 106 is pressed against the front surface 2b of the outer housing 2 and rotates toward the back surface 100b. Then, the terminal pin 101 is exposed.

  In addition, a support recess 108 that is in contact with the support protrusion 112 of the support plate 103 is formed on the bottom surface 100 c of the terminal plate 100. The terminal plate 100 is supported by the support convex portion 112 of the support plate 103 with a slight clearance so as to be swingable in the direction of the bottom surface 100c. Further, the terminal plate 100 is provided with a locking piece 109 protruding from the bottom surface 100 c for locking to the bottom surface 102 c of the storage case 102.

  As shown in FIG. 21, the storage case 102 into which the terminal plate 100 is fitted is formed to be slightly larger than the outer casing 2 of the battery pack 1, and the upper surface where the outer casing 2 is inserted and removed is opened. Forms a substantially rectangular box. The storage case 102 is provided with the above-described locking projections 70 and the engagement projections 51 on both side walls 102 a and 102 b facing the both side surfaces 2 c and 2 d of the outer casing 2. Further, as shown in FIG. 8, the storage case 102 has a rotation mechanism 40 that rotates a lock piece 35 that engages with the lower surface 2 a of the outer casing 2 on the rear wall facing the rear surface 2 e of the outer casing 2. Is arranged.

In the storage case 102, a fitting hole 110 into which the terminal plate 100 is fitted is formed in the bottom surface 102c constituting the bottom surface 5a of the battery mounting portion 5 and the both side walls 102a, 102b. The fitting hole 110 has a bottom surface 102c opened in a substantially rectangular shape, and both side walls 102a and 102b are also opened in a rectangular shape so as to be continuous with the opening in the bottom surface 102c. The terminal plate 100 is inserted into the storage case 102 from the bottom surface 102c, and is fitted into the fitting hole 110 by supporting both sides of the bottom surface 100c on both side walls 102a and 102b. At this time, the locking piece 109 of the terminal board 100 is locked to the bottom surface 102 c of the storage case 102.

  Thereby, the terminal board 100 makes the one surface 104 in which the terminal pin 101 was arrange | positioned face the inside of the storage case 102. FIG. Further, when the terminal plate 100 is fitted into the fitting hole 110, the bottom surface 100 c side is supported by the support plate 103.

  As shown in FIG. 22, the support plate 103 is made of a resin component formed in a substantially rectangular plate shape, and is attached to the bottom surface 102 c of the storage case 102 in a cantilever shape, thereby fitting the terminal plate 100 into the fitting hole 110. I support it. The support plate 103 is provided with a support convex portion 112 that is in contact with the support concave portion 108 of the terminal plate 100 on the surface facing the terminal plate 100. The support plate 103 has an opening 113 corresponding to the locking piece 109 of the terminal plate 100 and a plurality of attachment holes 114 attached to the bottom surface 102 c of the storage case 102.

  When the terminal plate 100 is fitted into the fitting hole 110, the support plate 103 is attached to the storage case 102 from above the terminal plate 100 and supports the terminal plate 100.

  At this time, the support recess 108 is formed wider than the support protrusion 112, and any side wall of the support recess 108 is not in contact with the support protrusion 112. Further, the fitting hole 110 is opened on both side surfaces 102 a and 102 b of the storage case 102. Accordingly, the terminal board 100 can swing in the direction of arrow X in FIG. In the terminal plate 100, the swing range in the X direction is restricted by any side wall of the support recess 108 abutting against the support projection 112 of the support plate 103 or the locking piece 109 abutting against the opening 113. The

Further, the support plate 103 has a slight clearance between the front end surface of the support convex portion 112 and the bottom surface of the support concave portion 108. Further, the support plate 103 is supported in a cantilever shape by the storage case 102 and has some flexibility. Therefore, the terminal board 100 can be swung also in the arrow Z direction in FIG. In the terminal plate 100, the bottom surface of the support recess 108 abuts on the front end surface of the support projection 112 or is supported by the fitting holes 110 formed in the both side walls 102 a and 102 b of the storage case 102 in the Z direction. The rocking range is regulated.

  Furthermore, the storage case 102 is formed of resin parts. In the storage case 102, the front wall 102d facing the back surface 100b of the terminal board 100 is formed with a fitting hole 110 in the both side walls 102a and 102b. Have sex. Accordingly, the terminal board 100 can swing in the direction of arrow Y in FIG. The terminal plate 100 has a swing range restricted by a flexible range of the front wall 102d.

  Thus, when the battery pack 1 is mounted on the battery mounting portion 5 by forming the terminal plate 100 so as to be swingable in three directions indicated by arrows X, Y, and Z in FIG. Even when it is swung by the swing of the main body, the terminal plate 100 follows the battery pack 1 by swinging, and the terminal portion 6 and the terminal pin 101 are integrated. Accordingly, there is no gap at the contact point between the terminal portion 6 and the terminal pin 101, and connection failure can be prevented. Moreover, the terminal part 6 and the terminal pin 101 do not slide, and damage and deterioration can be prevented.

Further, since both side walls 102a and 102b of the storage case 102 are opened and the terminal plate 100 can swing in the direction of the arrow X in FIG. 19, the battery mounting portion 5 of the camcorder 7 is provided as shown in FIG. When mounted on the camcorder, the camcorder 7 can be swung freely in the vertical direction. Therefore, even when the battery pack 1 is swung in the vertical direction when the camcorder 7 is used, the connection reliability between the terminal portion 6 of the battery pack 1 and the terminal pin 101 of the battery mounting portion 5 is not impaired.

  In addition to the configuration using the storage case 102 in which the terminal plate 100 and the support plate 103 are fitted as described above, the battery mounting portion 5 forms a battery storage portion in the electronic device body, and this battery storage portion Alternatively, the terminal plate 100 and the support plate 103 can be formed so as to be fitted to each other.

Next, the remaining capacity display function of the battery pack 1 will be described. As described above, since the battery pack 1 is used for the business camcorder 7 , the battery capacity can be increased and the battery pack 1 can be used for a long time. Here, when the business camcorder 7 is used, a plurality of spare battery packs 1 are prepared, and when the battery is used up, another battery is replaced to continue shooting. At this time, by checking the remaining amount of the spare battery pack 1, it is possible to select one with a large remaining amount and to distinguish it from the battery pack 1 that has already been used up.

  In the battery pack 1, the remaining amount display unit 120 is formed on the upper surface 2 f of the outer casing 2. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 23, the remaining amount display unit 120 includes a display window 121 that lights and displays the remaining capacity of the battery pack 1, a remaining amount display switch 122 that lights the display window 121, and a remaining amount display switch. Detecting means 123 for detecting the pressed state of 122 and control means 124 for controlling the lighting state of the display window 121 according to the detection result of the detecting means 123. The remaining amount display unit 120 switches the lighting state of the display window 121 in accordance with the pressing time of the remaining amount display switch 122, and improves the usability of the user.

  The display window 121 has a built-in LED and emits light or extinguishes depending on the remaining battery level. As shown in FIG. 24, for example, four display windows 121 are formed in parallel on the upper surface 2f of the outer casing 2, and any case where the remaining battery capacity (absolute remaining capacity ratio) is less than 20%. Turns off, if 20% to 39%, one of the left ends is lit, if 40% to 59% is lit from the left end to two, if 60% to 79%, it is lit from the left end to three, In the case of 80% to 100%, the light emission state of each LED is controlled so that all four light up.

  The remaining amount display switch 122 is formed on the upper surface 2 f of the outer casing 2 adjacent to the display window 121. The remaining amount display switch 122 is detected by the detection means 123 when the user presses it. Then, the control unit 124 varies the lighting time of each LED of the display window 121 according to the pressing time. For example, when the pressing time of the remaining amount display switch 122 is 0.5 seconds or less, the display window 121 is lit for 1 second, and when the pressing time of the remaining amount display switch 122 is longer than 0.5 seconds, the display window 121 is lit for 5 seconds.

The detection means 123 for detecting the pressing time of the remaining amount display switch 122 and the control means 124 for controlling the light emission time of the display window 121 are a circuit board disposed on the upper surface 2f side in the outer casing 2 (see FIG. 2). Alternatively, it is provided on a circuit board 9 connected to the circuit board by a flexible wiring board.

  In the remaining amount display unit 120, as shown in FIG. 25, the control unit 124 monitors the lighting state of the LEDs (step S1). The control means 124 determines whether or not the remaining amount display switch 122 is pressed when the LED is in the off state (step S2). The control means 124 monitors the lighting state of the LED again when the remaining amount display switch 122 is not pressed, and whether the remaining capacity rate of the battery pack 1 is less than 20% when the remaining amount display switch 122 is pressed. It is determined whether or not (step S3). When the remaining capacity rate of the battery pack 1 is less than 20%, the control unit 124 keeps the light off, and when the remaining capacity rate is 20% or more, the control unit 124 turns on the display window 121 according to the remaining capacity rate. The process returns to the LED lighting state monitor (step S4).

In step S1, when the LED of the display window 121 is in the lighting state, the control unit 124 determines whether or not the remaining amount display switch 122 has been pressed for more than 0.5 seconds (step S5). Then, when the pressing time of the remaining amount display switch 122 is 0.5 seconds or less , the control unit 124 determines whether or not 1 second has elapsed since each LED of the display window 121 was turned on (step S6). The control means 124 maintains the lighting state when one second has not elapsed since the LED was turned on, turns off each LED when one second has elapsed, and returns to the LED lighting state monitor (step S7). ).

In step S5, when the remaining amount display switch 122 is pressed for more than 0.5 seconds, the control unit 124 determines whether or not 5 seconds have elapsed since the LEDs of the display window 121 are lit (step S8). . The control means 124 maintains the lighting state when 5 seconds have not elapsed since the LED was turned on, and turns off each LED when 5 seconds have elapsed, and returns to the LED lighting state monitor (step S9). ).

  Thus, since the lighting time of the display window 121 changes depending on the pressing time of the remaining amount display switch 122, the remaining amount display unit 120 checks the remaining battery capacity rate of the plurality of spare battery packs 1, for example. Since it takes time to check one by one, by arranging a plurality of spare battery packs 1 and successively pressing the remaining amount display switch 122 for a long time, the display window 121 emits light for 5 seconds or more. The remaining capacity rate can be confirmed well.

  The pressing time of the remaining amount display switch 122 for extending the light emission time of the display window 121 is not limited to 0.5 seconds and can be changed as appropriate. Further, when the remaining amount display switch 122 is pressed for a long time, the light emission time of the extended display window 121 is not limited to 5 seconds and can be changed as appropriate.

  Further, the lighting state of the display window 121 when the remaining amount display switch 122 is pressed for a long time may increase the luminance of the LED of the display window 121, for example, in addition to extending the light emission time. By increasing the brightness of the LED of the display window 121, the visibility of the display window 121 in a bright environment such as outdoors in the daytime can be improved.

  Further, the lighting state of the display window 121 when the remaining amount display switch 122 is pressed and held may be, for example, blinking the LED of the display window 121 in addition to extending the light emission time. Visibility can also be improved by blinking the LED of the display window 121, and power consumption required for light emission can be suppressed by blinking when the light emission time is extended. Note that the control unit 124 can improve the visibility by blinking the LED of the display window 121 even when the remaining amount display switch 122 is not pressed for a long time.

  Further, the remaining amount display unit 120 can appropriately set the display window 121 other than the four-stage display. Furthermore, when the remaining battery level is less than 20%, the color of lighting or blinking is changed, and further four steps (20% to 15%, 15% to 10%, 10% to 5%, 5% or less) May be displayed.

It is an external appearance perspective view of an L size battery. It is a disassembled perspective view of a battery. It is an external appearance perspective view of S size battery. It is a side view of the camcorder in which a battery is mounted. It is a perspective view which shows the camcorder with which the battery was mounted | worn. It is a bottom view which shows the lower surface of an outer housing | casing, (a) shows an L size battery, (b) shows an S size battery. It is sectional drawing which shows the circuit board arrange | positioned in an outer housing | casing. It is a perspective view which shows a battery mounting part. It is a perspective view which shows the battery with which a battery mounting part is mounted | worn. It is a side view which shows a detection recessed part and a latching recessed part. It is a figure which shows the side surface of an outer housing | casing in case the battery from which a size differs is erroneously inserted in the battery mounting part. It is a perspective view which cuts and shows a terminal part partially. It is a perspective view which cuts and shows a terminal part partially. It is a perspective view which shows a mode that the terminal case connected with the battery cell and the circuit board is accommodated in a lower case. It is a perspective view which shows the terminal part formed in the outer housing | casing from an inner side. It is a front view of a terminal part. It is a figure which shows the terminal case connected with the battery cell and the circuit board, (a) is a front view, (b) is a bottom view. It is a disassembled perspective view of a battery accommodating part. It is a perspective view of a battery accommodating part. It is a perspective view which shows a terminal board, (a) shows one surface side, (b) shows a bottom face side. It is a perspective view which shows a storage case. It is a perspective view which shows a support plate. 4 is a block diagram showing a remaining amount display unit 120. FIG. It is a figure which shows the lighting state of a residual amount display part. It is a flowchart which shows the display flow of a residual amount display part.

1 battery, 2 outer casing, 3 upper cover, 4 lower case, 5 battery mounting part, 6 terminal part, 7 camcorder, 8 battery cell, 9 circuit board, 10 identification part, 11 non-slip part, 14 machine name label, 15, 16 Insertion guide groove, 17 Locking recess, 18 L-shaped opening, 19 Stepped portion, 20, 21 Guide groove, 22 Locking wall, 30, 31 Guide protrusion, 32 Front protrusion, 33 Locking protrusion , 34 Back projection, 35 Lock piece, 36 Locking hole, 40 Rotating mechanism, 50 Detection recess, 51 Engagement projection, 52 Switch, 55, 56 Locking recess, 57 Inclined surface, 58 Holding part , 59 orthogonal surface part, 60 opening part, 61 inclined surface part, 62 clamping part, 63 opening part, 70 locking convex part, 71 leg part, 72 locking part, 80 terminal hole, 81 terminal case, 82 metal bearing, 3 Insertion hole, 84 concave surface portion, 85 guide portion, 86 inclined surface portion, 87 support surface portion, 88 metal tab, 89 fitting hole, 91 electrode tab, 100 terminal plate, 101 terminal pin, 102 storage case, 103 support plate, 108 Support concave portion, 109 locking piece, 110 fitting hole, 112 support convex portion, 113 opening, 114 mounting hole

Claims (3)

A display for displaying the remaining battery capacity;
A remaining amount display switch for lighting the display section;
Detecting means for detecting a pressed state of the remaining amount display switch;
Control means for switching the display state of the display unit in accordance with the pressing time of the remaining amount display switch ,
When the remaining amount display switch is pressed for a longer time than the predetermined time, the control means makes the display time of the display unit longer than when the remaining amount display switch is pressed for the predetermined time or less . The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the control means causes the display unit to be lit. The battery pack according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit causes the display unit to blink.

Images